Stearns County learned today that it received a $392,000 federal Recovery Act Grant through the Department of Energy to pay for a much-needed energy improvement project. Friday, September 25, 2009
Dear Trooper Kathy: I am wondering why people feel it is necessary to yell at others when they really don't know what is going on! Here's what happened. My sister broke her foot and was in a cast. I dropped her off at the front door of the store and then went and parked in the handicapped parking spot. I put the permit on the mirror. When I got out of my vehicle, a lady started yelling at me and telling me that I wasn't handicapped and I should leave that spot open for the old people. It didn't do any good for me to tell her that I had dropped off my sister because she wasn't in any mood to listen to me. Could you please tell people to STOP acting like the HANDICAPPED POLICE? They don't always know what a person's handicap is and I am NOT going to explain it to them.
Trooper Kathy Says: OK, out there-STOP acting like the handicapped police! I think you made a great point and I don't really need to add to it. I will add a few comments though, about handicap parking certificates.
1. The disability-parking certificate MUST be displayed on the rear view mirror.
2. If there is no mirror it must be placed on the dashboard.
3. The MN statute mandates the parking permit is to be displayed by the physically disabled person OR a person parking FOR the benefit of THAT disabled person.
A few other rules you might want to know about. A person with a handicapped permit may park:
1. In a designated disability parking space
2. In a non-restricted metered parking space without obligation to pay the meter fee AND without regard to time limitation unless otherwise posted
3. In a non-metered time-limited passenger-vehicle space unless otherwise posted.
This handicapped permit does NOT allow you to park:
1. In designated no-parking spaces or
2. In parking spaces reserved for specified purposes or vehicles or
3. Where there is a local ordinance that prohibits parking on any street or highway for the purpose of creating a fire lane or
4. To provide for the accommodation of heavy traffic during rush hours
Use of this certificate by anyone other than the disabled individual (or for the disabled individual) is a violation and could result in the revocation of the certificate, your parking privilege, and /or a fine of up to $500. The certificate must be surrendered upon the death of an applicant or when a certificate is altered or damaged.
If you have any questions regarding traffic safety and/or traffic laws, please e-mail her at. Sgt. Pederson will not offer advice on specific situations or real events, which involve law enforcement.
The Legislature is taking a few days off for the Easter/Passover break, and I want to take advantage of this pause to update you on some important issues at the Capitol.
There are about six weeks left in the legislative session, with more than two-thirds of our calendar days behind us. With policy deadlines behind us and budget targets to division heads, omnibus budget bills will start making progress to meet the April 16 committee deadline.
Another vital deadline is April 22, when all the omnibus budget and tax bills should be ready for action on the House and Senate floor.
With a few exceptions, it seemed a slower week at the Capitol on the surface, but this week we started the transition from the barrage of policy ideas to budget work in earnest. General tax talk continued and many committees are starting to assemble their big funding bills. Next week will be quiet at the Capitol with the Easter/Passover break.
Read more on Education budget, Green Acres, Lifting the nuclear ban, Transportation stimulus, and Shared services mandate.
Discussion on who owns 135th Street: A contract will be drawn up for ownership/maintenance. Resurfacing of the roads will be Maine Prairie responsibility, to be shared 50/50 with the City. Any improvements will be a joint approval.
